Grand Escape
by Snapecake
Summary: When the MoM discovers Snape is still loyal to Voldemort they send aurors to Hogwarts to get him. Why is he still loyal? And what's Hermione's part in this game? SSHG


**Title**: Grand Escape

**Author**: Snapecake

**Summary**: When the MoM discovers Snape is still loyal to Voldemort they send aurors to Hogwarts to get him. Why is he still loyal? And what's Hermione's part in this game?  SS/HG

**Rating**: PG

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately nothing of this is mine, it all belongs to lady JK Rowling. Though I would love to borrow Snape.... 

**AN**: Hmmmm, I was actually planning to update my other stories, but this just kept coming back to me. So this is a case of first things first =) ...please forgive me!!! I've had quite a nasty accident this fall, leaving me unable to write for a long time, and this is really the first thing ever since, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure about it.... So please tell me what you think!!!! Please!!! 

But please remember I'm from the Netherlands, and English is just a foreign language to me...

So spelling corrections are very welcome too!!!!

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**Grand Escape**

When the lightning came it felt like a photo being taken.  Nobody moved. Nobody made a sound.

Inwardly Hermione Granger grinned. Even the weather seemed to be underlining the grave situation. Adding to his grand escape. 

For grand it had been so far. They had all been there when the expected had come to happen.

Perhaps she alone had foreseen it much longer. She had know this had been bound to happen one day.

**It had started 8 months before...**

"Why?" she had asked. "Please tell me why. Make me understand!"

He had let out a deep sigh. For a moment she had been afraid she had asked a question that had been out of her league. At that very moment they had been working together for three years in a row. And at that very moment she had discovered he still belonged to Voldemort. 

But instead of cursing her out of this world, he had asked her to sit down. Silence had ruled in the dungeons. 

When he had eventually spoken she had caught the amused undertone in his voice. 

"A question worthy of you. Any other would have run off to our great headmaster to spill it all out. Why? you ask. I'll tell you."

His words had been so right she realised. After working together for so long she had been able to give him the benefit of the doubt.

And when he had started telling his story she had listened intently, like he was telling her an intricate recipe for a long lost potion.

 "The first time I joined him, it had been because of the hatred bottled up inside of me. I will spare you the details, but trust me when I tell you it has been no pleasure ride. Taking out the anger by violence seemed to be a good idea by then. As you might understand, it wasn't. I came crawling back to Hogwarts and by turning in others redeemed myself. When He came back the second time, things had changed."

For a moment he had paused and looked up at her. Afraid of ruining the moment she had nodded silently. A pensive look set on his face.

"The second time. It came at a point in my life where I had just realised things were still not working out. I found myself here at Hogwarts. Teaching completely ignorant and mostly unwilling children. My own research constantly being blocked by the Ministry. My inventions being labelled as "dangerous". I've never truly lost my image as Death Eater. And just then He came back and called me."

He had absentmindedly rubbed his left arm where she had known the Dark Mark to be.  

"Dumbledore asked me to spy. And so I did. But all too soon I realised this was my chance. By following him I could realise my dreams. I could do whatever research I wanted. No fools to label it as dangerous."

By now fire seemed to have lit behind his eyes and his voice carried a warm undertone. 

"And He valued me for my skills. When I'm working for him, there's nobody that's looking over my shoulder. Nobody's telling me what to do. Nobody forbidding me to experiment with that ingredient. They all appreciate what I'm doing, knowing nobody else could do it like me. I feel like I'm really needed there. And in between doing my work for Him, I can do what I want. By now it has nothing to do with ideals about a better world. Not for me. It's about my work." 

She had cocked her head  and had stared at the revelation that had been sitting in front of her. 

Slowly he had got up and retreated to his private chambers. 

"Do what has to be done, miss Granger." And with that he closed the door.

She had remained seated and while her fingers kept tracing the grains in the wood of the table. 

Working together with him had at first been a hell. But then slowly, very slowly things had changed. As she gained more and more respect for his knowledge and his way of working, he had gained more and more respect for her person. And by know they had been working side by side, not as friends , but as equals. 

Softly she had made her way to her own rooms at the other side of the castle.

Two weeks later their research had been blocked by the Ministry of Magic as they claimed their work to be a hazard for society. 

Thunder rumbled slowly and deeply. She could almost feel it in her stomach. It brought her back to the present time.

There he stood. Proud and tall. Hogwarts most feared professor. Surrounded.

Behind him two unknown aurors tried to approach him. From the left the Headmaster and Ron were slowly creeping forward. From the other side Harry and Remus were taking small steps in his direction. 

He didn't even acknowledge them. He only stared at the person right in front him. Their eyes locked.

"Don't look into his eyes Hermione!" Ron shouted.

She vaguely smiled. So did the man in front of her.

Here they were standing in the top room of one of the many towers Hogwarts had. They had driven him up there after a fellow Death Eater had told his guilty secret to the Ministry.

She had followed. Willing to see the end herself.   

As thunder crashed again he removed his eyes from her and swiftly muttered a curse. The aurors behind him were blow against the wall and crumbled onto the floor. 

Slowly she raised her wand and pointed it at his chest. As if he had felt her move his eyes rested on her again.  

Almost casual he stepped towards her, only to halt and inch from the tip of her wand. 

She didn't move.  She was vaguely aware of Harry shouting directions her way.

As he opened his mouth she didn't stop him. The curse came out at the same time the thunder boomed through the room.

Some where in the back of her mind she registered the wandless magic.

The sound of wood against stone told her the others had lost their wands. She bit her lower lip.

A wordless message showed in his eyes as she tried to read them.

The hand that held her wand was shaking. 

Behind him the others had started moving towards them.

An other curse left his lips. The others froze.

With the next flash of lightning the whole scene truly resembled a photo.

Franticly she kept reading his eyes, hoping her translation would prove accurate.

Gradually she started a message of her own. He blinked as he read her answer to his unspoken question.

With a sudden swift movement he turned on his heels and headed for the door, brushing past her. 

The arm that held her wand came down and rested by her side. Her eyes darted to those of her frozen friends. She met with unspoken horror.

Without having to turn her head she knew he was waiting for her, his hand reaching out for her.

She felt her eyes filling with tears as the answered the look in their eyes with something that would resemble a wave at best. 

Silently she turned around and grasped his still extended hand.

Without looking back once more she closed the door and followed him down the stairs and outside.

Still in silence they left the castle's grounds.

As they halted and prepared to apparate he suddenly embraced her.

With a plop they disappeared.

**Fifteen year later**

As the morning sun rested it's first beams on the two people in the bed, the smallest of them stirred. Slowly two amber eyes cracked open. 

While trying not to disturb the still sleeping form next to her Hermione Granger slit out of the bed and walked out of the room. She sneezed as she inhaled the still lingering fumes of the botched potion from yesterday evening.

In the kitchen she made herself a strong cup of the tea and slowly continued her way onto the patio. 

A lazy smile graced her face as she let her eyes wander over the scenery. Their cottage was situated on the Isle of Man and faced the sea. 

As she watched the rays of sunlight sparkle on the waves,  the shadow of an owl fell on her. 

She looked up in surprise as the owl landed next to her and extended it's paw to her. 

"For me?" she asked. The owl hooted impatient.

Carefully she detached the letter from it's paw. Even before taking a closer look at it she knew it's contents.

A long sigh made its way out between her lips. She had expected the letter. And still it surprised her, it suddenly felt like time had taken steps to big for her to comprehend.

"It all started fifteen years ago" she muttered softly. The night she had taken his hand and had left with him. Leaving everything behind.

It was never mend to be that way. 

After she had discovered that Severus had still been a Death Eater, in spite of is different reasons, a plan had formed in her mind. 

She had told him of her plan and after much debating he had agreed to it. So they had worked closely, even more close as before. 

First they had worked on a potion which would remove the Dark Mark. And after seven months they had found it. Just in time they had said afterwards.

In the meanwhile they had found this cottage, bought it and had warded it with as much unplottable spells as they knew.

Then the had created a laboratory in the cottage and stocked it with enough ingredients to last at least ten years. 

All of this would guarantee him total freedom. No Dark Lord to bow for, no Dumbledore to teach for, no Ministry to listen to. 

She had warned him he would be all alone, as it would be impossible to contact the wizarding world in danger of discovery. 

He had nodded and asked her to continue. So she had. Not once had he asked why she would do this all for him. Not once had he asked why she hadn't turned him in.

But then the dreaded night had come and he had asked her to come with him. And as she had realised at that very moment, she had to come along. She had fallen in love with him.

She had told him as much when they had arrived in the cottage, only to realise he had known even before she did. Still he had not said a word.

In complete silence she had washed his Dark Mark off his arm.

With his eyes closed he had touched his arm afterwards. She had looked up at him in wonder.

Then, almost inaudible, he had muttered: "Clean. Finally clean."

A soft smile had lit his face: "Only because of you, my dearest Hermione. Who would have thought?"

 Acknowledging the complement he had paid her, she had smiled shyly at him.

Slowly had had cupped her face and had place a light kiss on her lips.

The kiss that had started it all.

And while the world around them moved in it's natural pace, they had been living their own lives in their own world.

They had experimented as much as they liked, exploring both the dark as the light side of potions. They had created much, and failed even more, but there was no one that would blame them for it.

A vague contact in London patented the potions for them and brought them onto the market. Thus supplying with them both with acknowledgement and money for new ingredients.

This had been they way they had heard of the end of the war. This had been the way they had been caught. And after a long trial, the way they had been pardoned. Not only by the Ministry, but also by Dumbledore and her friends.

"Musing?" a soft voice murmured in her ear. 

She shivered. He still did that after all those years. 

He kissed her on top of her head and wrapped his arms around her.

She shrugged and held up the letter. 

Slowly he took it out of her hand and studied it.

It was is turn to let out a deep sigh: "It was to be expected."

"Still it comes as a surprise." She added sadly.

"Yes." He agreed "indeed."

"Hey!" a third voice joined the conversation "Why those gloomy faces?"

They turned round as the eleven years old boy came bursting through the doorway. His black hair ruffled by sleep, but his amber eyes open wide, filled with curiosity. 

Hermione smiled: "Your Hogwarts letter has arrived."


End file.
